


Quiet Winter

by UnmaskedTomatoes



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Character Death, Dimension Travel, Gen, Supernatural Elements, no one has a good time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:08:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9178861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnmaskedTomatoes/pseuds/UnmaskedTomatoes
Summary: There's been a murder in Pelican Town.





	1. Where it all began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abigail organizes an investigation team, but things quickly go south.

Sebastian trembled, cigarette falling out of his hands. His heart pounded, the sound of blood rushing through his ears, the smell of blood permeating the air-

Blood. Blood- deep red, staining yet complimenting the snow underneath his feet. It seeped out from under the body until it couldn't be absorbed anymore, looking as though something was bathing in a sea of red.

The lack of pigment in the body's face was almost indistinguishable against the snow falling. White, dead-

Sebastian was frozen, like the frozen weather had caught up to him. It was only moments before dusk fell, but there was no mistaking what he saw.

Linus was dead.

A body was dead on the ground in front of him, blood everywhere. Sebastian's vision blurred panick consuming him, and he immediately bolted back to his house.

"Mom!" he yelled, throwing the door open, surprised at his own voice, and Robin and Demetrius' heads swiveled to look at him, alarmed. Robin rushed around the counter.

"Th-th-" Sebastian struggled- he couldn't force the words to come out of him. All he could manage was to point in the direction of the body, and that's all Robin needed.

"Stay here," she told Demetrius. "Have the phone ready."

Robin grabbed her axe and followed Sebastian outside. All Demetrius heard, back at the house, was her shriek.

Sam's hand on Sebastian's shoulder brought him out of his flashback. He looks up at his concerned expression.

"You... okay?"

There's a pause.

"I mean. That was stupid, of course you're not okay. I mean, you saw a dead guy-"

Sam is cut off by Abigail pinching his bicep.

"Ouch-"

"Shut up, you're not helping," she hisses.

Sebastian pulls the blanket around him tighter. All around them were lights and chatter, and it made his head spin. Made him feel sick sick. He didn't want to be in existence-

Demetrius had called the cops. Pelican Town didn't have anything akin to a police force- unless Sam's dad counts in some way- so it took a while for them to arrive. The word- the fear- had already spread. Kent had to keep people from coming anywhere near the mountains, and things got even more tense.

Sebastian was questioned, as was the rest of his family, and in the end, Linus's death was deemed a homocide.

Sam is eventually forced to go home by his worried mother, but Abigail stayed with Sebastian. The terrified look in his eyes made her feel for him. They're friends, and Abigail's dumb parents aren't going to force her to leave him after something like this.

"Who could have done something like this?" she wonders aloud, shaking her head. "That poor guy, nobody was ever really nice to him. I sort of regret that."

Sebastian nods.

"I couldn't believe that it was someone in town," Abby continues. "It just... doesn't make sense."

Sebastian wonders the same thing. While he's still shaken from what he had to witness, he did have to wonder. It couldn't have been anyone in town- but it couldn't have been anyone else.

"Hey," Abigail turns to him with a gentle smile. "When you start to feel better, you and I should start an investigation team. With Sam."

Sebastian immediately scowls.

"What could we accomplish with that?" he mutters, voice quiet.

Abigail is slightly taken aback. "Who else is gonna do it?"

"Actual detectives?"

Abigail scoffs. "You know they won't."

"And we'll actually be able to make any headway?" Sebastian finally looks up at her as he says this. He's vulnerable, voice shaking, and Abigail feels bad. For what exactly, she isn't sure.

"I just-"

"I don't want to have anything to do with it."

Sebastian stands and makes his way to his room. Abigail lets him.

-

Abigail goes home, and her father can finally lock up his store for the night. Her parents are worried about her, and it almost makes her angry that they are. She isn't some easy target like that old guy, and she knows how to defend herself. The farmer taught her how.

She immediately messages Sam, knowing that his family probably wouldn't be opening the door for the rest of the night.

[wanna start an investigation team for this thing? i brought this up with seb but he didn't like the idea.]

Sam immediately responded.

[omfg O-O]

[you know i'd get my ass kicked!!!!!!!!]

Abigail sighed.

[we need to let the old guy rip] she sends back. [idc what your parents think, i care about what you think]

During the pause, Abigail listens to her parents talking in the next room.

[listen i agree with what ur saying and its totally cool! but i really would rather not get in trouble you feel me]

Abigail sends him a frowny face, and he responds with a sad face.

[how old are you sam?]

[i mean, at least 20, last time i checked]

[and at what age are you a legal adult?]

[abbs please]

Abigail just smirks, awaiting his agreement.

[fuck]

She can just hear him sighing.

[fine. but you better cover my ass if anything happens.]

Abigail just responds with the okay emoji and wishes him goodnight. She'll wait until tomorrow to talk to Sebastian about it again.

-

The town was obviously unsettled.

Jodi kept Vincent inside for the day, barely letting Sam out of the house by himself, almost telling her husband to go accompany him. But Sam was able to assure her that he would be fine and promised to travel in a group. Yes mom, I brought my pocket knife. Yes mom, I brought my phone. Yes mom, I'll text you often.

It was the whole situation that left everyone scared. There were no newcomers. Everyone knew everyone. And yet, there was a murder. A homocide. And no one knew who it was.

Sam quickly met up with Abigail, who struggled to leave the house, herself. Everything was quiet. No one was outside except for them.

They began the walk to Sebastian's house.

"I hope he's doing better," Abigail told Sam, her breath visible due to the winter air.

"Me too. I didn't ever think I'd see him so shaken up."

Abigail nodded. "You think we're allowed to look at the murder scene?"

Sam shrugs. "Don't even want to."

"How can we be an investigation team if we don't look at all of the evidence?"

"Abby, this is kind of silly, to be completely honest with you. What can we do? We're just kids in a hick-ass town, working part time and getting high every Friday in this futile hope that we can escape."

"...You get high?"

"I mean-" Sam stutters. "The point is that there's no point."

They stop in front of Sebastian's home, and Abigail can see a detective collecting evidence from a distance away.

"Even if we don't get anywhere, at least we tried."

She doesn't let Sam answer, and just opens the door. Robin smiles as they come in, and Abigail notices quickly that she has her axe on the counter next to her.

"Hi kids. Sebby is still sleeping. Forgive him if he's grumpy."

Sam nods as they head downstairs. Sebastian's door is unlocked, and it slowly creaks as Abigail pushes it open. Everything is dark, and so they stand in the doorway waiting to be able to see something. Abigail is tempted to turn on the light, but that would be rude to Sebastian.

"Seb?" She calls out gently, but there's no response. Sam began to tiptoe through his room, wary of objects strewn about. Abigail shuts the door and it was completely dark, save for the flashing lights coming from Sebastian's computer.

"Sebastian?" Sam calls this time, somewhere in the vicinity of his bed. There's a grunt from his left and he follows the source of the noise. Slowly their eyes begin to adjust.

"How you feeling?" Sam asks after finding the edge of Sebastian's bed by bumping his knees into it.

"Go away."

"Well, we've been defeated. Let's go home, Abigail," Sam jokes, and Abigail just shakes her head.

"Sebastian, let's take a walk."

"Too tired," he responds simply.

"It's cold outside. It'll clear your head."

"Nah."

Abigail looks at Sam, who shrugs.

"We can talk in here, then." Abigail ventures out into the darkness to find Sebastian's lightswitch, and flicks it on. Sebastian immediately puts his head under his blankets.

Abigail looks at the floor.

"What a mess. Seb, help us clean up."

"Leave it," Sebastian mumbles under his blankets. "You'll do it wrong."

Sam descreetly stands in front of the bong Sebastian accidentally left out.

"Okay, no more beating around the bush. We're investigating this-"

Sebastian snaps his blanket off of his face and gives her a gnarly glare.

"I meant what I said yesterday."

"What's the deal with you two?" Abigail huffs, clearly agitated. "You both think it's so stupid. Because there's no point? There may be no point but it's better than sitting around in fear waiting to see who gets killed next!"

Sam fidgets and Sebastian stares blankly at her.

"We're the only ones that can do it. And if we don't get anywhere, at least we _did something_. We're the ones who get shit done in this town."

"You're right," Sam says after a while, looking a bit sheepish. "And I'm sorry for being mean. I'm, like. I'm nervous y'know?"

Abigail nods. "I get it. Sebastian?"

Sebastian just sighs, his eyes tired, face worn out.

"I'd hate to be excluded," he sighs. "Just. Let me sleep this off."

Abigail's fine with that response. "Course. Sam n' I will get started. Let us know when you're ready."

Sebastian just turns back over, eyes already shut. On the way out, Abigail turns off the lights.

"He okay?" Robin asks as they come upstairs without Sebastian.

"Yeah, he's just gonna sleep some more," Sam responds and follows Abigail on the way out.

Abigail wanders over to the crime scene, stopping at the police tape. Linus's body is gone, of course, and she doesn't see signs of the detective from before.

"Where should we start?" Sam asks.

"Did you catch what killed him?"

"Ah- uh."

Sam thinks back for a moment. 

"They weren't too sure but they mentioned that he was gashed with something pretty big. Like, a sword or an axe or something."

"That would be messy," Abigail ponders. "Well if you say a sword or an axe, we know a few people who have those. And, I mean, Robin does live directly next to where-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Sam cuts her off. "It wasn't Robin. No way. No reason. They questioned her, remember?"

"We can't leave anyone out. We need to take this seriously and we need to include every possibility."

Sam frowns. "I didn't realize it took this much brainpower."

Abigail shakes her head. "Robin owns an axe. Demetrius has access to that axe, as does Maru and Sebastian-"

"Abby."

"Hey, he was the one who found Linus. He isn't safe either-"

"Do you really think-"

"Include. Every. Possibility."

Sam scowls at her. It wasn't Sebastian, and if she accused him one more time...

"The guys by the mines own all sorts of weapons. I think they're our prime suspects right now."

"That's reasonable."

"And Clint has access to all sorts of tools and weapons."

"Really, Clint-"

"Sam, what do I keep saying."

"Yeah I know but we can easily debunk them."

Abigail turns, her arms crossed. "With what, trust? Someone in town did it, so that makes everyone a suspect. No more trust."

Sam rolls his eyes.

"And... Well, the farmer."

"They are quiet aren't they?"

"But they're close to Linus," Abigail tells him. "He would have no reason to-"

"Abigail, if I may. You are being a real fucking hypocrite right now."

Abigail blushes. "Yeah I'm just. Putting the facts together."

"You're a piece of shit, honestly," Sam says, although not menacingly at all. "Let's put your love affairs behind."

"Sam, quit!"

Abigail turns red, and despite how cold it was outside, she knew she can't blame it on the frost biting at her skin.

"Don't tell me you're in cahoots with them? Are you going to tell them to kill me next for teasing you?"

Abby fumes and pushes Sam hard in the chest.

"Even if I was, I would just kill you myself, you fucking walnut." Tears start to form in her eyes.

Sam bursts out laughing, his hands holding his stomach.

"Not taking things seriously, as usual?" A groggy voice sounds behind them, and they're startled. 

"Oh, you're awake!" Abigail exclaims, her demeanor changing. Sebastian stands before them, his hair messy and his clothes baggy and wrinkled. His posture is so poor that he looks even shorter than he already is.

"You actually look like shit," Sam comments, and Abigail jabs him in the ribs.

"Kind of hard to sleep after witnessing what I witnessed."

"You alright?"

"I'm fine," Sebastian mumbls, though his voice is scratchy and doesn't actually sound fine. He walks over to stand in between them and take the scene in during daylight.

"Someone got kinda crazy with the cranberries," he attempts to joke, and Sam and Abigail just stare blankly at him.

".......Anyway."

"Um," Abigail starts. "Prime suspects right now are Marlon and Gil."

"And the farmer."

Abigail hesitates. "And the farmer. People to be a bit suspicious of are Clint, your mom-"

"I'm sorry what?"

"Your mom, Demetrius, Maru-"

"What the fuck? This is just a joke. Ha, fucking funny, accusing my family of fucking murdering a dude living peacefully behind our fucking house."

"Seb-"

"Honestly, fuck you Abigail. You dragged me into this stupid detective party and now I want out. This is just a waste of my time."

Sam watches Sebastian walk away and hears a door slam. Abigail is tense, tears in her eyes, hands clenched- obviously hurt.

"Ab-"

"I get it." She sighs. "No one wants to do this. I get it."

She turns to Sam and tries to smile, but it's extremely forced. "You can go home. I'll do this on my own. Stay safe."

"But Abby-"

Abigail had already started walking away.

"Abby, I'm willing to help you-"

"I said it's fine, Sam. Take care of Sebastian, I'll take care of this."

Sam watches Abigail disappear behind the trees, her outline stained on the snow behind her.

That evening, Abigail is found dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mm, like that cliffhanger?
> 
> we'll see how far this goes. i'm bad at continuing things.
> 
> please leave nice comments


	2. Only ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian loses one of his closest friends, and carries on her dying wish by vowing to figure out who murdered her.

Sam was told to take care of Sebastian, and he would. After Abigail walks out of his sight, he makes the short walk to Sebastian's house again. Robin seems confused as to why there's so much back and forth with these children.

Sam doesn't say anything and just goes straight into Sebastian's room.

Sebastian is hidden in the dark again. Sam knows he is sulking, and flips the lights on upon his entry. Sebastian doesn't move, curled up on his bed with his back to the world. He hadn't even take off his shoes or pulled his blanket over himself.

"Sebastian," Sam sighs as he approaches Sebastian. "You upset her."

"I fucking know I upset her," Sebastian mumbles back, quiet. "I feel terrible."

"Let's go apologize then. She shouldn't be out there by herself." Sam sits on the edge of Sebastian's bed.

"Then why are you here?"

"Well, she told me to keep an eye on you."

"You're stupid. You should have just followed her. She's in more danger than I am right now."

Sam slumps. "You're actually 100% right."

"So what the fuck are you still doing here?"

"You have to come with me!" Sam bursts suddenly. Sebastian is startled as weight is lifted from his bed.

"Wha- no!"

"Yeah man, I can't be alone out there either!"

Sebastian growls, knowing that Sam has a point.

"Fine, but only to find Abigail."

"Good enough." Sam knows that they'll convince him some way or another to join them. Sam wants to say that he planned this situation, but he isn't that smart.

Sebastian follows behind Sam, and as he glances at his mother she gives him a kind smile.

"Be careful, you two," Robin tells them.

"Of course," Sam responds. Before they're out the door, Robin stops them.

"Oh, by the way, Sebby." 

Sebastian stops to look at her.

"For some reason none of the phones are working. You can text if you're able to somehow, but just try not to need anything from me alright?"

Sebastian finds it weird that the phones aren't working- usually the service is great, better than he ever thought that the town could provide.

"Alright. I'll be right back anyway," he says, and shuts the door behind him.

Immediately, Sam tries to text Abiagail.

"Huh, she was right," Sam says after a while. The text didn't go through. "A line must be down?"

Sebastian just shrugs, although it gave him a sinking feeling in his stomach. Was it somehow connected to the murderer?

He tries not to think ahead of himself and just focuses on the pattern on the back of Sam's jacket; bring himself down to earth.

"Wonder where she went," Sam says quietly, looking around for the splash of purple against white.

"Doubt she went to Joja," Sebastian says, rubbing his hands together. The weather gives him an intense desire to start smoking, and his fingers itch for the carton in his pocket.

"True. I mean, shit, we're gonna have to go on a treasure hunt for her." Sam scratches the back of his head. "And I can't say 'let's split up gang' either."

"Maybe she went home?" Sebastian suggests.

"Maybe. Let's start there."

Sam leads the way again, trudging through deep snow. As much as the urge to go roll around in the pristine, untouched snow near the abandoned community center pulls at him, he knows Sebastian would get upset. Not to mention, he needs to be serious. He's on an investigation team, after all!

Sam walks into the general store, Pierre immediately giving the boys a strange look. Sebastian sees panic in his eyes.

"Hey, is Ab-" Sam starts, but Pierre cuts him off.

"Where's my daughter?"

Sam and Sebastian stand rigid at his sudden outburst, and Sebastian can see Caroline peek out from behind the door ahead of them.

"She's not here?" Sam asks cautiously. Pierre just gives him a look, and Caroline quickly leaves.

"Uh, okay we're looking for her right now! She kinda. Split. On us, so, we'll uh..."

Sam darts out when there's no reply.

"Okay so that was weird."

Sebastian agrees. "We should just head towards the library then."

Sam nods. "We'll definitely find her between now and then."

Sebastian gets the sinking feeling again, and, without realizing it, he's already taking a cigarette from his pocket. Sam turns.

"I'm stressed," Sebastian says quietly, mostly to himself, and Sam sees his hands shaking, struggling to light the cigarette.

"Abigail is tough, you know she'll be fine."

"Doesn't mean I can't worry about her."

Sam sighs. Sebastian always brings up good points.

"Seb, if something did happen to her, you aren't gonna, like..."

Sebastian finally lights the cigarette and stuffs the lighter back into his pants. He is still awaiting Sam's complete sentence.

"Like?"

"Nevermind. We can't waste anymore time."

Sebastian follows Sam again, and for some reason the cigarette doesn't help as much as he thought it would. He keeps smoking, though, to give himself something to do, something to focus on besides Abigail.

"Let's check in here real quick," Sam says as he enters the Saloon. It's almost deserted, and Gus looks sad behind the counter before Sam and Sebastian enter.

"Hey Gus, has Abby been through here?"

Gus shakes his head. "Haven't seen her since Friday. I don't suppose you're here to eat?"

Sam shakes his head. "No. Maybe when we find Abigail. Thanks though."

Sam returns to Sebastian outside. "It was worth trying," Sam sighs, feeling bad about Gus and his lack of customers.

Sebastian looks around them as Sam looks forward, not seeing any signs of her. They finally reach the library, and Sam begins to open up the door to peek in. Sebastian, again, stays outside and circles the building. Just in case.

Gunther looks up at Sam.

"What are you doin visiting instead of stayin at home?"

Sam winces a tad. "Looking for Abigail. Have you seen her?"

Gunther just shakes his head and Sam lets himself out.

"Nope. Where to?"

Sebastian is quiet, and Sam eventually realizes that he's disappeared. He would have lost his shit if he didn't remember him walking to the other side of the library, and found him there. But he was rigid and his cigarette had fallen in the snow.

"Seb? She's not in the library, so maybe the forest?"

Sebastian is still frozen in place- shaking, actually- and Sam feels his heart pounding. What did he see-

"Dude, you're freaking me out and I almost don't want to see what you're seeing right now because man-"

A noise leaves Sebastian and his body heaves- everything happens so fast Sam wasn't sure what to focus on. All he knows is that there's bile on the ground, staining the snow a nasty color, Sebastian is on his knees, shaking and sobbing, and there are vibrant splashes of red. Everywhere.

Sam hears the blood crashing through his head and he doesn't want to look. He doesn't want to step forward and see what the source of the blood is- doesn't want to see who has left Sebastian a sobbing, weak mess on the ground. But he can't look away, can't stop himself.

He steps forward and his heart drops, feels his entire body become cold.

He sees Abigail. Dead. Her blood is splattered against the bushes, mouth and eyes wide open. There are clear signs of a struggle- bruises, slowly fading, on her arms and neck. One of her eyes is slightly popped out, leaving Sam with a sick feeling in his stomach. Sam's eyes scan the scene, his entire body shaking as he comes to terms with what he's seeing.

Her throat had been cut, and the blood was still fresh, the final drops oozing from the wound and staining her perfect white skin and her soft clothes that Sam knows the smell of too well.

"F-fuck, oh my god-" Sam chokes, and panic starts to settle in. Sebastian is sobbing on the ground next to her, holding her limp hand in his, blood finding its way on his fingers. Sam doesn't know what to do.

His hand darts into his pocket and fishes out his phone, in such a hurry that he drops it into the snow, and immediately dials the police. But then he remembers that there's no service, and his call doesn't go through.

"Shit," he hisses, shoving his phone back into his pocket. "Seb, s-stay here," he manages to get out, and while that was probably a bad idea, he needed to do something. Sebastian is lost to the world, anyway. He wasn't leaving Abigail's side.

Sam darts up the stairs into the library, immediately grabbing Gunther's attention.

He isn't able to explain the situation very well, but Gunther gets the point and climbs over the counter.

"You say the phones don't work?" he asks, and Sam nods, his stomach twisting and his throat pulling. It felt like everything was spinning. He goes outside without waiting for Gunther to finish testing the phone line, as if he didn't believe him, and returns to Sebastian's side. He kneels and embraces him after seeing the glazed-over look in his eyes.

Sam can't bear to look at Abigail. It felt so sick. She didn't deserve this, and they were both being such asses to her only minutes before. Maybe if it weren't for them, they would still be alive. Sam can't hold it back anymore, and tears begin to fill his eyes. Sebastian can feel his body wracking, knowing that Sam is trying to hold it in for his sake.

Gunther comes outside and freezes upon the scene. He doesn't say anything, and Sam watches him run to Mayor Lewis' house.

"Seb," Sam whispers, but Sebastian just buries his face in Sam's shoulder. He doesn't speak further when he hears Sebastian crying into him.

The mayor slowly comes up behind the boys, and Sam looks up. He can't read the mayor's expression very well, though it probably didn't help that his eyes were filled with tears.

"You boys should go home," he says gently. "I sent Gunther out to get help. We can take it from here."

Sam hesitates, but agrees in the end, knowing there's no point in resisting, and forces himself from Sebastian's grip. Sebastian holds Abigail's hand again instead.

"Seb, please."

"We can't leave her like this," Sebastian chokes out, and Sam quivers.

"Sebastian, please..."

He's trying hard not to burst into tears. Sebastian is making it hard for him- he's in so much pain-

Sam doesn't have a choice but to take Sebastian by the armpits and carefully pry him away from the dent he made in the stained snow.

Sebastian cries out once he's out of Abigail's reach, fighting against Sam, but he's too weak. Sam pulls him to his feet and tries to break his gaze on Abigail. He can see Mayor Lewis looking at them sadly, his hands folded in front of him.

Sebastian gives in, his eyes red and raw, weak and cold and shaking hard, and slumps against Sam, gently beating at his chest.

"It- it'll be alright," Sam speaks to him, gently, but he doesn't believe his own words. His heart is wrenching and the only reason he isn't broken down like Sebastian is because of Sebastian himself.

Sebastian allows Sam to drag him to his house again, walking sluggishly with his eyes downcast and glazed over, dazed like he was in another world all by himself.

When they walk through the door, Robin is immediately concerned and rounds the corner to take Sebastian by the shoulders.

"Sebby?" She calls for him gently, and he just looks at her. His voice won't leave him, and it causes Robin to look at Sam in panic.

Sam gulps, pausing to keep his composure before he speaks. "Abigail was killed too."

He can see Robin's expression change, her eyes shifting back to Sebastian. Although she knows he's not one for contact, she takes him into her arms and holds him. Sebastian lets her.

"I'm sorry," she whispers to Sam, and he forces a smile. "You can go."

Sam has learned his lesson that he shouldn't be outside alone, but he should really be getting home. Maybe if he just runs really fast?

He lets himself out and sprints home, making it in one piece. His heart is a different story.

-

Days pass, and no one is allowed outside alone. No one wants to go out, even in groups, and Sam's parents have officially forbid him from leaving the house for any reason. Vincent seems confused as to what's going on, and if Kent or Jodi don't tell him, Sam is going to tell him, himself. Gorey details included.

With that said, he hasn't been able to keep in touch with Sebastian, and he feels like an awful friend. He knows he's hurting, knows that he should be by his side through this- but he can't. He can't do anything.

Abigail's parents were heartbroken, Caroline breaking down into a severe depression. Sam isn't sure of the details, but the important part is that it's not looking good, and it won't be a surprise if she dies next. Pierre has closed his store indefinitely.

Mayor Lewis had sent Gunther out to town to get help, but even after days, he never returned. The trip should have only taken a few hours- but there was no word. Gunther had disappeared forever.

-

Sam snuck out.

It was stupid, and he knows that as soon as his mom comes in to check on him, there's going to be a man hunt. But Sam is fucking tired of staying inside and fucking tired of not being able to see Sebastian. Abigail was murdered and her murderer is still out there. If Sam and Sebastian are the only ones willing to take things on, then so be it.

Robin stood rigid as Sam entered, but relaxed when she recognized who he was.

"Sam, you're not supposed to be here," she says, looking confused. "You snuck out, and you need to go home."

Sam just shakes his head. "I can't." He heads downstairs, and Sebastian's door is already open. Sam peeks inside and sees Sebastian's pale, exhausted-looking face illuminated by the computer screen.

"Hey," Sam calls, gently, and Sebastian looks up out of his trance. His blank expression doesn't change.

Sam circles the room to stand next to Sebastian, seeing nothing but his desktop screen.

"I know you're not okay, but, are you okay?"

Sebastian shrugs, hands folded on his stomach.

There's a silence.

"I feel like I'm in purgatory or something," Sebastian finally mumbles, voice scratchy. Sam nods, thinking it over for a moment. Now that he mentions it, everything does feel rather off. It could just be the quiet town, the strain put on their emotions, the lack of contact to the outside world...

"We should just get out of here," Sam suggests, and Sebastian looks up at him, curious. "Let's take your bike and get the fuck out of here."

Sebastian feels that it's hopeless, but there's not many options. He thinks it over, and Sam patiently stands beside him.

"Fuck it," Sebastian sighs, and struggles to lift himself out of his computer chair. He's sore, and Sam watches as he sluggishly puts on his shoes.

Sebastian leads the way, and Robin seems surprised to see him out of bed. Her surprise turns into confusion, then she becomes stern as they try to leave.

"Sebastian Michael, you get back in here this instant!" She shouts, sounding panicked, but Sebastian ignores her. Sam gives her a sorry look before shutting the door behind them.

Sam helps Sebastian open the garage and they pull out his motorcyle together. It's cold and looks untouched, but Sebastian hops on without much thought. Robin comes out of the door to drag them back inside, but they're gone before she can finish blinking.

Sam is Sebastian's eyes, knowing that he might get lost in his own mind and forget what he's doing. They reach the main road, and Sam feels relieved that this is the home stretch. They enter the tunnel, and Sam squints his eyes to adjust to the dark.

....

The tunnel should have ended by now, and Sam quickly turns to look behind him. Yeah, the tunnel definitely should have ended by now.

He turns back around and strains to look ahead.

"Sebastian stop!" Sam panics, heart jumping upon seeing a major ravine that they were barreling towards, squeezing Sebastian's waist hard. Sebastian chokes before they come to a screeching halt. Sam shakes due to the adrenaline pumping through him, and he jumps off of the bike. He stands next to the end of the road... The end of the world. There was an abyss below him, pitch black.

"What the fuck?" Sebastian says loudly, very loudly, and it startles Sam. What the fuck, indeed.

"The fucking tunnel just... ends."

"How?" Sebastian asks, seemingly angry, and goes to find a rock to throw into the abyss.

"Shit, man, you're asking me?" Sam is exasperated. What does this mean for them? Is this why Gunther never came back?

Sebastian throws a reasonably sized rock into the abyss, and they wait. For minutes, nothing happens. Nothing happens at all, actually.

"This is freaky. What do we do?" Sam steps back from the abyss, looking around the tunnel.

Sebastian is silent, captured by the mystery of the void. Sam looks at him curiously, ready to grab him if he tries anything funny.

"I think..." Sebastian starts, and Sam steps forward to gently place his hand on his shoulder. "I think Abigail was right."

Sam looks at him curiously, and Sebastian turns to face him. There's purpose in his eyes.

"We're the only ones who can do this," he elaborates. "And the only way we can honor her is by finding the fucker who murdered her."

Sam beams, and wholeheartedly agrees with Sebastian. For the first time in a long time, Sebastian weakly smiles back at him, and Sam can recognize that he's sincere.

They both glance back into the abyss, and, for a split second, they see Abigail's face- smiling at them, a proud look in her eyes.

"Let's go," Sebastian says, snapping out of it before he gets emotional. "We have a murder to solve."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha did you catch that kuroshitsuji reference
> 
> anyway, things get spoopy in this chapter. also i updated waaaaaaay sooner than i ever thought!! i guess i'm in the writing groove, my man
> 
> leave nice comments, thank youu


	3. It's just us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without Abigail's help, Sam and Sebastian struggle to keep their team together.

Sam and Sebastian finally return to the mountains, and Robin is already outside with her arms crossed and her foot tapping. She's angry. Sam doesn't want to see this, but he isn't allowed to escape once Sebastian pulls up next to his mother.

"Unbelievable!" Robin begins, and Sam can see Sebastian wince slightly as he gets off of his motorcycle. "There have been two murders in this town and you and Sam go on a joyride together?!"

Sam also winces, and stands awkwardly behind Robin as she turns to watch Sebastian casually put his bike away.

"Are you listening to me?" Robin's tone changes, and Sam gets tense. If Jodi were to speak to Sam like that, he'd probably cry. Yet Sebastian is just giving her a blank stare, as if he were looking through her.

"Yeah," he responds simply. Sam can see the steam coming out of Robin's ears, although she somehow keeps her composure.

"Why is it the _one_ time I ask you _not_ to leave the house, you don't listen to me?"

Sebastian's eyes wander to Sam for a moment, but otherwise he doesn't say anything.

Robin approaches Sebastian, and Sam is afraid that she might hurt him, but instead she pulls him into a hug. She ignores his squirming.

"Stay inside until this is figured out. No one else needs to die. Especially not you."

Robin lets Sebastian go, and turns to face Sam this time.

"And you." Robin points a finger at him. "Thank you for being there for my son, but I don't need you encouraging his rebellious side."

Sam quickly nods, and Robin returns to the house after giving Sebastian a look.

Sebastian sighs, shrugs his shoulders, and pulls out a cigarette. "What are we gonna do man?"

Sam just shrugs back. "Not like we can contact each other from afar."

They stand outside in the snow for a good while, Sam watching Sebastian smoke. Everything is quiet, and if it weren't for the fact that Sam couldn't feel his face, he would want to stand there forever.

"Well, let's look at the facts." Sam slurs his words slightly, his mouth numb from the cold. "Two people are dead. One in the mountains, one in town. Both with gashes made from a sharp object, probably a knife, who the hell knows. One in the stomach, one in the throat."

Sebastian starts to shiver, and closes his eyes.

"And uhh, it happened close to nighttime?"

"Roughly," Sebastian mumbles. "The only connection is the weapon, so far."

"Right. The targets were completely different people. D'you think it's just random? I mean, there's gotta be a motive."

"Well, it's still unclear how random it is. To be fair, the old guy lived near me, and Abby was close to me personally. It's still hard to say at this point."

Sam sees that Sebastian looks pained, notices that he struggles to say Abigail's name. Sam moves to stand next to him.

"And that huge hole in the road?" Sam changes the subject.

"No fuckin clue."

Sebastian drops his cigarette and kicks up snow to cover it.

"Your lips are purple," he says, and opens the door to his house. Sam follows.

Robin smiles at Sebastian as they head down to his room. Immediately the heater is turned on, and Sam is grateful to get feeling back in his limbs. He can feel his fingers thawing out, and he sprawls out on Sebastian's bed to fully enjoy the feeling.

"I don't know where to go with this, man," Sebastian mumbles, rubbing his eyes. He stands next to Sam. "What are we gonna do, question people? Everyone's been inside and the only person who is suspicious disappeared forever."

"Abby made a suspect list though, remember?" Sam asks and sits up. Sebastian sits next to him.

"There's no solid evidence. We can't go and interrogate someone just because we have a feeling they did it."

"Fuck, man," Sam curses, exasperated. "It should just be enough that they own something that fits the bill of the murder weapon, right?"

"I don't fucking know, dude."

"So we have no leads? The fuck are we supposed to do...?"

Sam covers his face with his hands. A sudden feeling overcomes him, and he can feel tears rising to his eyes. If Abigail were here, she would know what to do. But now they're stuck and hopeless, just waiting to be picked off.

"What if we..." Sebastian hesitates. Sam peeks out from between his fingers, controlling his sorrowful expression. "Well, it's a crazy idea, and I don't know how lucky we'll get with it."

Sam shakes his head. "We need anything at this point."

"Y'know that weird tower next to the forest?"

Sam pales. He wasn't suggesting-

"I guess some weird guy lives there. Like, a wizard of some sort? Maybe he can help."

"Or maybe he can kill us," Sam responds, feeling cold again. "I don't like it, man. I'm getting the heebie-jeebies."

"Abby used to hang out there," Sebastian mumbles. "Maybe she knows him or something. Knew him."

Sebastian whispers the last part and Sam's heart pulls.

"I mean, I guess," Sam sighs. "If it's all we got. Wish there was someone else we could take with us."

"Like, for bait?"

"Wh-" Sam looks at Sebastian, but soon realizes that he's trying to joke. "For safety, obviously. Safety in numbers."

"Everyone is too scared." Sebastian stands and stretches out his limbs. "We're gonna have to go alone."

Sam curses. "We can't drag, like... Alex with us?"

Sebastian immediately rolls his eyes, and he doesn't have to say anything more for Sam to understand. Alex would just put Sebastian in a bad mood, and they both know that's not what they need right now.

"We can sacrifice George." Sebastian is trying to joke again, but Sam actually contemplates the idea.

"I guess it's just us."

Sebastian nods. "It'll only be us."

Robin attempts to stop them on their way out of the door. Did she not just lecture them half an hour ago? Sebastian says he's smoking. Robin doesn't believe him for a second, but she has to let him go.

-

Sebastian leads the way as they walk through a ghost town. Sam dreads more and more the outcome of their destination, but Sebastian is confident. Sam won't let him go alone.

The only sounds they hear are their feet crunching through the snow. Not even the birds are out- it's as if the lake has stilled completely. No wind, no clouds, no sun. Sam briefly entertains the idea that the sky is artificial, just casting light whenever it needs to. It's surreal.

Sam glances at his house as they pass by. The curtains cover the windows so that he can't see in, but he can imagine his parents trying to entertain Vincent, keeping an eye on him so he doesn't go outside. Do they know Sam is gone?

A sinking feeling hits him- it's undescribable, really. He has to look forward again, snap himself out of his thoughts.

None of the cows at Marnie's ranch are outside, Sam notices. Everything seems so barren and lifeless. Abandoned, even. Sebastian doesn't seem like he notices this, and if he did he clearly isn't bothered. He's into this stuff anyway, isn't he?

Sam continues to follow closely to Sebastian, and after what seems like forever, they come upon the tower. It looms over them, and Sam feels sick.

"Are we sure about this, man?" Sam whispers.

"Only thing we got. You didn't walk all this way in the cold for nothing."

Sam nods, and stays close to Sebastian as he reaches for the doorknob.

Nothing happens as he opens the door. They expected a demon to come out and kill them immediately, or bats to fly out and gouge out their eyeballs. But none of that happens, and instead the door is open and they can see inside clearly. It seems like a normal house, save for the cauldron, bubbling with green... stuff. It gives the tower a strange smell.

"You first," Sam whispers after a while, hesitant. Sebastian rolls his eyes and steps in carefully, looking around for anything or anyone. He sees a shadow emerge from the back wall, and he freezes.

"I've been anticipating your arrival," a voice comes from the shadow. The hairs on Sebastian's neck stand up, and Sam is watching from behind curiously.

When Sebastian doesn't say anything, the shadow approaches him, and the figure is revealed. They're both relieved that it isn't a ghost or a demon or a guy with a huge sword, but then they question the man's attire. He certainly seems like a wizard. His purple hair is pretty sweet, too.

Sebastian slowly steps foward, only standing a few feet from the man. Sam slowly comes up from behind Sebastian, leaving the door open for an escape route.

"You've come to me about the occurences in Stardew Valley, correct?"

"The fuck," Sam says under his breath, and the weird man's gaze shifts to him for a moment.

"That's right," Sebastian confirms, voice hesitant.

"Come; shut the door, and I will share all I have to offer."

Sebastian looks at Sam warily, and Sam reluctantly shuts the door behind them.

The wizard-looking man stands beside the cauldron, while Sam and Sebastian stay put near the doorway.

"I know you have questions. I have answers."

"Execpt for 'who is the killer', right?" Sam asks, voice louder than he anticipated, and Sebastian flinches.

The wizard man smiles. "You're correct. That is one of many I cannot answer."

Sam slumps, knowing it wouldn't be that easy.

Sebastian swallows, hands starting to shake.

"Are... you connected to Abigail?"

Sam looks confused at Sebastian's first question, and the wizard-guy gives him a similar look.

"It would be best not to fill your head with empty theories." The wizard replies simply, and Sebastian somehow finds that contradictory, actually, but shrugs it off. This isn't what he came here for.

"Then..." Sebastian has a hard time sorting all of the jumbled thoughts dancing around in his head. He wasn't sure what he should and shouldn't ask, and begins to get frustrated that this mysterious wizard man can't just tell them everything he already knows.

"Was Abby killed by a human?" Sam speaks up, voice softer now. Sebastian seems confused by the question, wondering where it came from, but the wizard has no problem answering it.

"Not quite," he says, seeming to mull it over. "It's complex, though it is not completely human."

"Then what is it?" Sebastian snaps, Sam noticing that his patience is dwindling. The wizard just shakes his head.

"Shit, man- okay what can you tell us about that void deal goin on in the tunnel? Why can't we leave?"

The wizard sighs and turns to his cauldron for no apparent reason. "A question I ponder, myself. It is certainly unordinary."

"No shit," Sebastian grumbles. Sam lays a hand on his shoulder. He can tell he's getting seriously frustrated with the wizard's ambiguity.

"So the killer isn't exactly human and the abyss came from nowhere. Are... they connected?"

A look comes across the wizard's face. "It seems so."

"Should we go back and check it out again?" Sam whispers to Sebastian, and Sebastian just shrugs. "Well, we might as well. We should prepare this time." Sam turns to the wizard. "Could you help us?"

"Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i honestly didn't like the last chapter? idk i didnt like the flow of it? im sorry about that, i hope i got the icky chapter done and out of the way early.
> 
> i'll try to update as often as possble but final fantasy xv has quickly taken over my life. i'll try to ease back into stardew and get these juices flowing again
> 
> i'll make the next chapter longer and spicier!! i'll really try, you guys deserve it
> 
> thank you for reading and leaving kind comments my friendos


	4. Give up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian and Sam are on their way to meet the Wizard at the void, but something stops them in their tracks entirely.

"I wish we could have a funeral for her," Sam sighs. Sebastian is motionless where they sit together in the snow. Sam watches the gentle rise of cigarette smoke, the bitter smell of it keeping him grounded in the moment. After a while, Sebastian nods solemnly and takes a final drag before throwing the cigarette in the white void.

"I wish we never had to have a funeral for her," Sebastian responds, his voice quiet. Sam looks down at the cigarette dying in the snow while biting his lip. "I regret a lot. This fucking sucks."

Sam doesn't say anything, feeling sadness pull at his eyes. They both have had days to recover from discovering Abigail's body, but they can't get over it. Especially Sebastian.

"I dunno. Maybe I should give up." Sebastian seems like he's already made a choice as he says this, and Sam looks at him, bewildered. He's heard the term "give up" from Sebastian so many times, and each and every one of those times have given him an anxiety deep within him.

"Don't say that man, c'mon." Sam attempts to make it seem like he isn't concerned, but his voice gives it away.

"Well if you think about it, I'm only doing this for her but she's dead. And if she's dead then it doesn't matter anymore right? She doesn't know."

Sam's hands tremble. "I'm- I'm sure she knows somehow-"

Sebastian looks at Sam for the first time in a while, and it silences him, but not for long.

"Look man. That wizard dude is helping us, I'm helping you, and even if she doesn't know... we need to bring her justice. If... if I were murdered, I'd want the bastard to be caught. Y'know?"

Sebastian nods. "I feel that. And I mean. I don't think I'll quit or just off myself or anything. You're still here, my mom is still here, and we have a lead. But if you think about it it's kind of futile. Too far-fetched I guess."

Sam doesn't say anything, at least relieved that Sebastian isn't going to follow through with his words. On the other hand, he does have a point. On another hand, this isn't something that they can just ignore.

Sebastian stands before Sam's thoughts can spin him in circles any longer. "Well, let's start heading out."

Sam stands, but gives Sebastian a bit of a weird look. "Uh. Okay but where?"

Sebastian just shrugs. "We could have overlooked something and I'm not gonna wait around for my mom to yell at me for another hour. Besides, I haven't seen the farmer since this all happened."

Sam gulps, but doesn't object. While it's a crazy idea, the thought that the farmer is involved crosses Sam's mind. He hopes that he's wrong.

Again, the town is unusually quiet, although at this point it's normal. It doesn't bother Sam so much now, as he expects it. Everyone is too scared to go outdoors, but Sam is used to it. Both him and Sebastian.

Sebastian leads the duo along the snow-shoveled path. Sam can see their breath as they walk, reminding him of Sebastian's cigarette smoke, and he brings his arms closer to his body. He didn't really prepare himself for the freezing temperatures, though it crosses his mind that maybe the separation of Pelican Town from the rest of the world has induced this. Maybe he's just crazy.

Sebastian pauses once they make it to the entrance of the farm, his eyes scanning the blank landscape. The animal houses are still intact, but weeds are growing everywhere. There's no sign of life.

"I don't like this," Sam whispers from his place next to Sebastian, and he nods.

"Me neither. But that means that something isn't right."

Sam doesn't follow Sebastian as he walks up the stairs to the farmhouse, the porch cluttered with chests that he trips over, until he's given an over-the-shoulder look. Sam just shrugs, refusing to go in, and Sebastian sighs. Fine, he'll do it alone.

The door creaks open without much force. It's dark and quiet, and Sebastian doesn't want to step in. He gets the feeling that something will jump out at him.

"Hey, you in here?" He calls, slowly making his way in. There's no response.

The air feels cold and the tangy smell that hits his nostrils make him sick. It's familiar- but he denies it. He denies that he can smell the blood seeping into the floor, staining and eating away at pale, dead flesh-

Sebastian is shaking as he rounds the corner to the farmers room, and he freezes in place when what he sees is worse than his imagination could come up with.

Even through the darkness he could see every spot of blood, every piece of flesh and tissue and gore. It sticks in Sebastian's head the way the farmer's arms are twisted so easily like the bones are made of rubber, and the exact distance that their head lie on the ground from him. The very little light there is reflects off of the sword at their feet, sliced in half like it's just made of plastic. Whatever had killed them... is definitely supernatural.

Sebastian flinches when he backs into Sam, who had gotten cold and curious while he was outside.

"Dude, what is it-" Sam couldn't finish before Sebastian stumbles towards the door, hunched over and ready to spill stomach acid all over the floor. Sam doesn't even want to look, himself- if Sebastian, the one who could watch thrasher movies all day without even flinching, is reacting like _this_ -

Sam follows him outside and shuts the farmhouse door tight. Sebastian's trembling and pale, his eyes wide and bloodshot. Sam isn't sure if he'd appreciate being touched, even if comfortingly, so he stands there helplessly as he watches his friend spiral downwards.

"Fucking tired of this," Sebastian whispers, his voice weak and croaky. "Tired of finding the bodies..."

Sam's face pinches in pain for his friend. Sebastian finding all of the bodies... either he was extremely unlucky, or this meant something. Whichever way, it's taking its toll on him and Sam doesn't know what to do.

"We... we gotta tell Lewis about this," Sam offers, his voice gentle. "We can't-"

"What's the point?" Sebastian cuts him off, his voice tearing out of him painfully. "What the fuck is he gonna do about it?"

Sam feels his chest ache. Sebastian looks exhausted, and if this goes on any longer he might actually become insane.

"We can't just leave em there," Sam speaks again, his voice dropping to a whisper. He breaks eye contact with Sebastian, the raw pain in his eyes too much for Sam to bear. "They're our friend, we can't pretend we didn't see this."

Sebastian is silent, but straightens. He sways slightly as he begins to walk away and soon enough Sam is following behind.

They don't make it to the Mayor's house, however, because something catches Sebastian's eye and he halts. His arm immediately flings out to stop Sam in his tracks, and while Sam is confused and looking around, Sebastian steps in his line of sight.

"Sam," he chokes, and Sam is thoroughly panicked by the intensity and pity in his eyes.

"F-fuck dude what is it?" Sam's voice is shaky, and Sebastian won't let him look. "Seb-"

Another noise rips out of Sebastian and Sam might think he's dying or throwing up again but it's just a sob, and there's so much panic inside of him that his knees go weak.

"I don't know- Sam you _can't look_ -"

Sam wrestles out of Sebastian's grip to step forward and scan around for what he saw, pushing Sebastian off as he claws at his jacket. His heart freezes and he knows why Sebastian didn't want him to see.

Her skin and hair are stained red, making her unrecognizable, but he knows it's his mom by her eyes. She looks distant, not pained or scared- like she had been killed before she realized it.

Despite Sebastian tugging on his arm, Sam steps forward further and his heart is slammed again with an icy mallet. The source of the amount of blood in the snow is the seperation of her torso. She's ripped clean in half, organs barely trailing out and making the snow sticky and slimy, and everything is so fuzzy Sam can't see anymore.

"Sam," Sebastian calls him again, weakly tugging on his arm. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

Sam shakes, the realization hitting him hard and fast. His face is burning hot what with the tears flowing from him, all of the pent up frustration, exhaustion, and sorrow flowing from him like a dam crumbling apart. His fingers are numb and Sebastian's voice sounds like an echo as his mom's face is burned into his mind, into his vision as he sobs. He isn't sure if he's audible or not, but he can feel emotions ripping and tearing through his chest. It hurts, it _hurts_ -

Sebastian stands in front of him again, taking him into his arms. Sam is too busy sobbing and wishing that everything was a nightmare, or that this was a prank and his mom will round the corner and ask him to come inside, it's so cold and she can make cocoa for him and Sebastian and they would never make trouble again-

But with Sebastian squeezing him and the intensity in his chest he knows that the last time he saw her alive she looked sad and tired, and he was escaping through the window to go see Sebastian. That the last memories he'll have of his mother are of her exhausted face cleaning the kitchen or telling him not to practice his guitar so loud- babysitting Vincent so that Sam could go get high, looking sad even when his dad came back home and stared at the lake for a few hours a day instead of helping her with _anything-_

His face is numb but Sam can feel Sebastian holding it in his hands tightly, his face worried and pale and raw as he calls for him to come back to reality.

"We can't do this anymore," Sam whispers, his voice broken. Sebastian pauses, his throat bobbing as he forces down the waterworks, lips pressing into a line. His hands loosen their grip and gently cradle Sam's face.

"We don't have to," Sebastian says, feeling his exhaustion bubble up as they both quietly agree to give up, relishing in the relief of stress even though the doubt still lurks that, once Sam is done being distraught and his sorrow turns to rage, that they'll be back at it. Harder than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw jodi's death is more emotional than abigail's  
> writing it made me sad, i don't do well with dead moms  
> sorry for the wait btw!!!! it's hard to stay on top of this when i'm writing so many final fantasy fics lmfao


	5. Out of time (We fight it)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn, and there's no going back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm seeing the end in the close future tbh  
> maybe 1 or 2 more chapters after this?  
> idk, we'll see. i keep adding new stuff so i might change my mind and make this a hella long series. anyway  
> 

Sebastian knows that Sam wouldn't be able to take going back home. He knows Sam would be homesick inside of his own house, his dad might go so far as to blame him for his mom's death- and Vincent.... Vincent would break his heart further.

Sebastian's hand rests on the small of Sam's back as he guides him along the path. Their pace is slow and Sam is shaking from the cold and the emotion still working its way through him.

As much as Sebastian wants to take Sam straight back to his house, to let him rest and recover in the familiar warmth of his room, under the dark blankets with the gentle hum of all of his computers... someone had to know about the bodies. Someone besides them needed to know... to take it all out of their hands. Take the burden off of their shoulders.

Even so, Sebastian knows this would follow Sam forever.

His eyes stray from the path to look at Sam's pale, sunken face. He looks dazed, his eyes blank but focused on the snow beneath him. Tears are still streaming down his cheeks, but he's silent. Sebastian's heart aches.

They come to the Mayor's house quickly, Sam stopping at the steps. He stumbles, and Sebastian allows him to sit on the cold wood.

"I'll be right back. Hang tight."

Sam doesn't say anything, but Sebastian thinks he might have seen him nod ever so slightly. He slowly enters Lewis' residence.

Which is surprising because the door is unlocked. Sebastian feels shivers run up his spine as he enters. Everything seems normal- the rooms are lit, even. But there's no sound. None at all.

Sebastian hesitates. It doesn't feel right and every instinct in his body screams at him to turn around, but... But what? Is there something sick in him that wants to see what happened? Or does he just need clarity...? Yeah, that's the one.

He leaves the door open as he slowly steps inside. Mayor Lewis is in his chair, but he doesn't turn around to greet Sebastian. He doesn't move at all.

"Uh, hey... Lewis?"

There's no response. Sebastian sighs. He hopes he's sleeping, but he knows that's not true. Of course it isn't.

Gulping, Sebastian approaches Lewis. He cranes his neck to look at him, seeing the distant, dead stare on his face. His skin is pale and there's no familiar rise and fall of his chest. It's eerie. There are no wounds or blood stains- he's just... dead.

Sebastian looks around for a possible explanation. Figuring that getting his fingerprints all over everything wouldn't matter at this point he opens up the drawers, looking for maybe a pill bottle or a syringe or _something_ , but there's nothing. Just paper and pens and crumpled up notes on his desk.

Curious, Sebastian looks at the note on Lewis' desk. He seems to have been writing before he died, and just to make sure, he looks at the pen on the floor, beneath the dead hand. Yup. Even creepier.

Before skimming over the note, he returns outside to Sam looking off into the distance. He seems alert, perhaps realizing that he was alone and it's quiet, but he seems to turn his head in Sebastian's direction when he comes up from behind.

"I found some weird shit," Sebastian says. Sam doesn't budge. "I mean. Lewis is dead... But I don't know how. He was writing something and I want to check it out. Maybe it can help."

Sam looks down at his feet again. Sebastian feels the tug at his heart and bites his lip, but Sam stands up anyway. He avoids eye contact.

Sebastian walks back into the house with a nod, and Sam follows. "You don't have to do anything if you don't want, but just stay close."

Sam obeys, standing behind Sebastian as he scoots Lewis' chair to the side to get a better look at the note he was writing. In the meantime, Sam manages to find a sheet to put over his body. Sebastian is thankful, and feels less tense as he reads the note to himself.

_"The boys are outside again._

_Seeing them gives me mixed feelings. It means they're alive, for one. On the other hand, it means they're continuing to investigate. That means that, at any moment, they can come back to me and tell me that another citizen is dead.  
As mayor, the people are my number one priority. It's hard when the only thing I can recommend is to stay indoors and keep their houses locked tight. It's hard when I know that those boys are out there, in the face of danger, and I'm in my house writing a letter... for what purpose? Well it's too late, I'm already writing it. Evidence? A note to someone years in the future?_

_I know the farmer is dead._  
_I haven't seen them since before Linus was murdered._  
_If they were alive, they would be out with Sam and Sebastian, and the mystery would have been solved. Right now we're hopeless. I'm hopeless as a mayor. Stay inside until we're all picked off, one by one... And let those boys try to figure things out until they tire themselves out. Or die._  
_What kind of mayor am I? To watch Sam's mother be ripped apart by a demon?_  
_To watch it break into his house?_  
_To watch i t "_

The note ends there.

The hairs on the back of Sebastian's neck stand up and he feels a chill run through his body. Lewis... _saw it_? And then he died with no explanation.

He turns to Sam, who is just looking at a wall with tired eyes and an anxious expression.

Sebastian opens his mouth but doesn't know what to say. Panic sticks in his throat, and Sam seems somewhat alarmed.

What does he say? That there may be some sort of monster in his house? That there's a possibility that his dad and brother have also been killed? That... that maybe even just _looking_ at the monster will kill you?

Sebastian hopes that the last theory isn't true- that Lewis decided to pop a few too many pills, in reality.

"Sam-"

Sebastian only manages to stutter his name before he's interrupted by a window breaking- a loud, jolting crash followed by a scream.

The boys look at each other, panic very clear in their eyes, and Sebastian leads the way outside.

They follow the sound of the constant scream- a girl's scream- to the motor home where so much is going on that Sebastian freezes in place, unsure of what to do or focus on first.

"Penny-!" Sam chokes out, and Sebastian thinks he might break down again, but he looks genuinely _angry_ and springs into action. Sebastian is unable to move.

"Sam-!"

Sam tackles the shadowy figure that had its hands tight around Penny's neck, that had her lifted inches off the ground, that had her a screaming and gargling mess as blood trailed from her mouth and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Sam manages to knock into it with enough force that it stumbles and drops Penny's body, but it quickly regains composure. Sebastian stands frozen, and so does Sam. Now that he's rescued Penny, he isn't sure what to do next.

The shadowed figure lets out a disgusting growl before pouncing on Sam. Its long, twisted arm reaches out behind itself, ready to strike, sharp claws outstretched, already coated with blood and a dark, sticky fluid, when something hits it in the eye with a dull _tink_. It's Vincent- throwing rocks from next to Penny's twitching body.

Sebastian finally moves, regaining his senses and finding an opportunity, grabbing the switchblade he remembers storing in his pocket next to his cigarettes, and lunges before the... _thing_ could attack Vincent next. Even as Sebastian stabbed and stabbed its chest, causing it to scream and groan and for hot and sticky black tar-like fluid to spill all over his arms, Vincent throws rocks and snowballs as hard and as fast as he could with tears and snot and a little bit of blood covering his face. Sam kicks the monster with all of the strength he could muster until its joints buckle. It attempts to escape, screaming such a garbled and _terrifying_ scream that it leaves everyone's ears ringing as it disappears behind a tree.

It doesn't leave a trace.

Sebastian shakes, the knife falling out of his hands as he tries to fling the sticky substance off of his body. It's burning hot and smelles _terrible_ , like burnt rubber and vinegar- is this the equivalent of its blood? Sam doesn't even give him a glance as he rushes to Penny's side.

She had been choking and gurgling, but the noises ceased. Sam picks her up in his arms, but she's limp and her head rolls to the side, blood oozes out of her neck where the demon creature had grabbed her. Vincent is sobbing, face hidden in Sam's side now that he's run over to cling to his brother.

"I was too late," Sam whispers, face twisting into a grimace. Sebastian gives up on ridding the blood from his clothes and watches Sam mourn after picking his switchblade up from the ground.

Penny's skin matches the snow, crimson fluid flows down her arms and drips from her fingers. The blood seeps into her clothes as well as Sam's, his fingernails become encrusted with it as he continues to hold her, to feel the warmth drain from her. Vincent hasn't stopped sobbing.

Finally he lies her back down. There's nothing he can do- Sebastian sees the pain in his eyes, but notices how his jaw clenches in resolve. He stands, and Vincent looks up at him through his tears when his hand gently pats his mess of red hair.

"We have a lot to talk about," Sebastian says slowly, and Sam nods. Unsure of what is exactly safe anymore, the three boys quickly make their way back to Lewis' house and shut the door behind them. Sebastian distracts Vincent from the cloaked lump in the chair and brings them further into the house. It's cold and quiet, and everyone shivers. 

"Vincent," Sam starts, his voice weak and his face pained from holding everything back. "Where's dad?"

Vincent is unable to answer right away, as he starts sobbing again. Sam assumes the worst, and hides his face in his hands until Vincent manages to choke out a few words. Sebastian's heart pulls and he needs to look away to keep up his stoic facade.

"The- the monster b-b-broke through the window and-" Vincent hiccups and sobs and Sam kneels down to comfortingly pat his shoulder. "It started hurting daddy and and I got scared and r-r-ran away to Miss Penny's..."

Sebastian looks to Sam out of the corner of his eye to see Sam lower his head, his shoulders tensing as he draws in a deep breath. Other than Vincent blubbering, everything is silent and still, and Sebastian can feel the weight in his chest. They lost their parents in minutes, and they almost lost each other. Sam stands after whispering something to Vincent that he can't hear, and brings Sebastian to a different section of the house, out of earshot.

"We can't sit around now," Sebastian says. "Nobody's safe."

"Yeah," Sam agrees quietly, grimacing. It's so difficult for him to talk without breaking down- Sebastian can tell. He can see _everything_ behind his eyes, behind the way he bites his lip, behind the way he clenches his fists or tenses his shoulders. Sebastian feels dizzy.

"We... we _saw_ it."

Sam nods, knitting his eyebrows together.

Sebastian has the image burned into his memory. It was a pure black creature, black like the void in the tunnel; tall with long limbs similar to tree branches, with sharp claws that could drag across the ground. It had a face, he thinks- there was a purple glow that could serve as the eyes and every time it shrieked the deep black parted into a dark, oozing slime. Although he stabbed it and stuff came out, there didn't seem to be any signs of a wound.

Sam shakes his head. "We got lucky. Real lucky. I... shouldn't be standing here right now."

Sebastian doesn't say anything at that, though he keeps his eyes locked on Sam's face. Sam continues to avoid eye contact.

"I moved without thinking," Sam says again, quietly, focused on the wall behind Sebastian. "I never... I guess I wouldn't die for her if I had the choice. But she's just... she was innocent, and I..."

Sam sighs, giving up on trying to get his thoughts out of his head. He couldn't decipher it- there was too much fuzz floating around his brain. He doesn't even remember how old he is.

"We're still lucky with the outcome that we got," Sebastian offers. "Worst case scenario, you and I would both be dead."

Sam runs a hand through his hair and then down his face. Blond locks fall against his forehead, and Sebastian can say that he truly does look fucked up. Sunken, bloodshot eyes, pale features, disheveled hair-

"What can we do? No one is safe anymore," Sam groans, screwing his eyes shut and sliding down to sit against a wall. Sebastian follows.

There's a silence. Vincent sniffles and whimpers in the background.

"We... fight it," Sebastian whispers after a while. Sam rests his head against Sebastian's shoulder, and Sebastian returns the gesture by setting his stained-black hand on Sam's thigh.

"We fight it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to do a double update for you guys this time but i figured i wouldn't keep you waiting for longer than you needed to. with that said i have a head start on the next chapter so it might be done sooner woooohooooo


	6. It's time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sacrifices must be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof my guys i am so so sorry for not updating.  
> i'll be real with you. after some time i kind of realized that i didn't like this. hell i love the concept and i loved writing it and leaving you guys guessing what's going to come next! but in the end i got ahead of myself, got too excited, and didn't plan things out thoroughly. i ended up with a mess that i'm not proud of.  
> i was going to try and discreetly abandon this. but there are people who are waiting for another chapter, who are waiting for an update, waiting for a resolution.  
> i can't leave you hanging. i've always been excited about writing the conclusion and i'm going to finally end it. it's not going to be quite how i originally planned it, but it will be close.  
> i might do something like this again in the future, but i promise i'll put more thought and efffort into it.  
> i might even rewrite this, but that's only if i have the energy.  
> thank you for sticking with this, even if it's taken forever to come to a close. you all are the reason this even has an ending.

Knowing that they had no time to lose, but also knowing that they're _exhausted beyond belief_ , Sebastian allows Sam to nap quickly against him. Sebastian stayed alert the entire time, trying to hear past Sam's soft breathing and the occasional whine from Vincent, who came from the other room to join their huddle on the floor.

When Sam is jolted awake by the images in his dreams, they devise a skeleton of a plan. The best thing, they figured, was to gather everyone that was still alive. They ordered Vincent to stay as close as possible, and Sebastian and Sam were alert as they left the house. They would have to go out of their way to get to certain houses, but with enough people it wouldn't be much of a problem. In the end, they would all gather in Sebastian's house.

They return to the motor home and drape a sheet across Penny, then check inside just to make sure of Pam's fate. As expected, she had died.

They move to Alex's house, and thankfully everyone is still huddled inside. They seem frightened when Sam knocks on the door, but Evelyn and Alex willfully agree to join them. George takes some convincing, but Sebastian was ready to leave him if they needed to.

Pelican Town is eerily silent as the group continues on. The crunches of feet in the snow and the soft squeak of George's wheelchair interrupt the painful lack of sound. There's no sign of that monster coming back but they're all wary, all on guard, all have something akin to a weapon grasped in their hands as they circle through town to collect people. It's almost as if they're in a ghost town, as if no one in Pelican Town had really existed. That it's a fabrication of reality- something that fucks Sam up and leaves him gasping for breath. It all feels so surreal. He can't take it. Can't take it can't take it can't take it-

Sebastian gently grips his hand, gives him a reassuring look. It's only enough to snap him out of his anxious state and help him continue. Vincent's tiny, soft fingers in his other hand is a nice contrast. Squeezing the hands of his remaining loved ones is enough to keep his feet moving. Just for now.

The fact that the monster hasn't returned by the time they circle back around to Alex's house is both alarming and relieving and the group isn't sure how to feel. The air is still so tense, as if just _waiting_ for something to happen, though a majority realize they need to act while it's safe.

They managed to gather Elliott, Leah, Jas, Gus, and Clint, and despite the severe lack of others they could save Sam and Sebastian are relieved that some managed to stay safe. For some it was merely a matter of staying indoors. Elliott and Leah hid out silently in the beach house, stayed still and silent no matter how much noise was made, no matter how much Willy screamed for help. Jas, the poor girl, was left shuddering in the corner of the barn covered in equally terrified chickens. From the looks of it, Shane had taken his own life, and Marnie had disappeared. Gus and Clint hid out in their respective shops and seemed to make it out just fine. They hadn't seen the monster.

They travel to the north to gather the remaining residents. Sebastian's heart beats faster with every step, every little crunch of snow or sniffle from the children clinging to each other for dear life setting a spike of fear through his heart. What if his own family had been murdered? His mom is so strong, but then again, so was Abigail. So was Kent, and Pam, and Emily and Pierre.

The group waits outside at Sebastian's request. Sam gives him a weak nod but it's enough for Sebastian to open up the door and step inside.

He sees his mother with a clenched jaw, hovering over her workshop table with a look that makes Sebastian more terrified than she's ever tried to make him. She's angry. She's confused. She's upset. _Sad_.

"Mom," Sebastian calls. He watches her eyes flit upwards to look at him, but her jaw only twitches. "We gotta go. We can't stay here. There's this thing that's going out and killing people-"

"I know," Robin says quietly, but it echoes through the entire house. There's something empty about it that makes Sebastian gulp.

"Mom?"

"Demetrius and Maru are gone. They tried leaving. Without me. I went after them but saw them get torn apart."

Sebastian's breath catches in his throat. His mother's voice has never sounded so empty. Has never made him feel so tense. She sighs and looks up, staring at him critically. It feels like forever, the few seconds she spends analyzing him. She smiles ever so slightly.

"You go on ahead, okay? I'll catch up."

It sounds sweet but it isn't enough to convince either of them that she's fine. Sebastian is going to leave and his mother won't follow. What will happen to her? Will she be murdered? Will she be forgotten as a part of another dimension when Sebastian leaves?

Will she be the only survivor of Pelican Town?

Sebastian must have hesitated for too long because Robin circles around the counter to press a kiss against his forehead. Ruffle his hair. Look up at him with exhausted eyes that reminds him how old she's getting, that reminds him of every single time she's taken care of him and smiled in that particular way. The smile when he spills juice on the front of his shirt and cries, when he trips and falls and breaks one of her projects. The smile that tells him to trust her, because she's his mom.

"Okay."

Robin lowers her hand as Sebastian nods. With one more breath, one more gulp, one more look, Sebastian turns. The first step is the hardest but the second one is easier when Sam comes into view. Switching his thoughts to seeing Sam alive and happy despite leaving his mother behind, alone, in danger, makes each step easier. Again and again until the door shuts behind him and locks with a click.

He stands in front of the group. Takes a moment to get his head on straight by briefly touching his forehead. Sighs and leaves the feeling of her lips on his face.

"We'll be following the road," he says, flushing slightly at his cracked voice. "The wizard should meet us at the void. I don't know what we're going to do there but... it should have some answers."

There's a scoff from the crowd.

"I'm tired 'a bein' strung along by you kids." George. "I'm too old to go on some magical treasure hunt! Count me out."

Sebastian is unfazed, but Evelyn's eyes shine with sorrow. She turns to him, crouches and places caring hands on his arm.

"We can't stay here," she pleads. "It's dangerous."

"Pah," George scoffs again, glaring at Vincent and Jas. "I'm too old. If I don't die from some black whippersnapper I'll die from a heart attack. Just leave me be."

George is immovable. Sebastian, and admittedly the others, are fine with leaving George behind. They're also convinced he was being sort of racist, making that decision easier. Eventually, Evelyn sighs.

"He's right," she sighs, looking to Alex. "We'll slow you down. It's okay to leave us here."

"No way!" Alex objects immediately, grabbing Evelyn's hands and looking down at her with the same sorrow in her own eyes. "You can't just give up!"

"I won't go without George. I want to be with him no matter where we go." She shakes her head as Alex goes to object again.

"They've made their decision," Sebastian mumbles, looking away from the old couple and to Sam's expression. He's zoned out, looking towards the ground like a zombie. Sebastian doesn't look up as he continues. "Anyone else want to give up before we keep going?"

There's silence. Sebastian nods in understanding before leading the group forward.

They trudge along. Sam's hands are filled with Sebastian's and Vincent's. Vincent and Jas are glued together, silent but sniffling and crying in a mutual understanding. Elliott seems untouched, unfazed as he walks beside Leah, who is slightly more worried. Gus and Clint are as nervous as the rest, looking around cautiously as everyone's shoes click on the icy road. They're reaching the final stretch and as exhausted as Sebastian is, his resolve grows.

The monsters don't approach them. There isn't a sound. They all go underneath the tunnel, footsteps and whispers echoing in the dark. Forever they walk, waiting to reach the end. A light is in the distance but it doesn't grow, not for a long while.

There's a growl.

They continue.

A distant shriek.

A pause. Continue. Don't stop walking.

Someone's footsteps become more rapid, come closer. It isn't someone left behind that's running to catch up. It sounds like nails tapping on this icy road. Like bare feel against the asphalt.

Like millions of feet from those void creatures, with their goopy mouths gaping open, shrieking and screaming as they run towards the group, to prevent them from going any further. One look back and Clint doesn't have time to scream before he's sliced in half.

There are millions of these monsters. Identical. Black, dripping with tar. Talons and long branches of limbs. The smell of death, something sweet, something bitter like coffee.

" _RUN_!"

Sebastian yells his order, snapping the others out of the trance these monsters caused. Everyone begins running at once, at full speed, leaving Clint's body behind. Alex scoops up frozen Vincent and Jas as he puts his athletic body to use. Leah can't help Gus as he trips and falls into the clutches of the monsters. Elliott's shoes click and clatter as he struggles to keep up. Sam squeezes his eyes shut and grips Sebastian's hand, trusting in his best friend to keep them going.

It's never going to end. They're going to run and run until they're exhausted, until all of them are dead. Until all of them are being burnt alive by the oozing, stinging blood of the monsters feasting on their innards. Until all of them are slashed and ripped open. Until Pelican Town, Stardew Valley was just a tale of a quiet band of people who one day disappeared.

Sam opens his eyes at the sound of an incantation. Before them is the Wizard, facing them, facing the creatures. His arms are outstretched and his eyes glow fierce. He's saying something in a language he can't understand but something is happening, making that light at the end of the tunnel grow, making the creatures scream in pain that drowns out the sound of anything else. The void in the tunnel is nearing and Sebastian doesn't stop. Something is happening that Sam can't understand. His feet move on his own as he stares wide eyed at the pure figure in front of him. There stands Abigail in a flowing white dress, with glowing white eyes and an expression that would make anyone drop to their knees. She beckons them all forward with her arms outstretched. A fierceness of a mother protecting her children. Sam and Sebastian trust her and trust each other.

As they near the edge of the road, they jump into the void. Abigail smiles.

-

Sebastian blinks his eyes open. His head pounds and his body aches, hands and toes tingle with a numbness that doesn't feel like sleep. His room is pitch black besides the glow of the computer lights blinking on and off. A look at his alarm clock tells him it's one in the afternoon.

He sits up. Sebastian doesn't remember sleeping in his clothes, but he finds it's something he does often enough. Swings his feet off the bed. Pushes his hair back and stretches. He can hear the light thud of footsteps over the floor above. Sebastian stumbles to his door, attempting to walk off the odd aches in his muscles as he goes upstairs and into the kitchen.

Maru is having a snack, one of her experimental vegetable dishes. She doesn't acknowledge him as he goes to the fridge and opens it. Realizing he isn't hungry he closes it again. Scratches his chin. Leaves the kitchen to return to the front of the house.

Demetrius is carving wood. He stands in the room and watches his father until he looks up and smiles.

"Morning, sunshine," he teases, setting down his blade and hiding the small wood figurine behind his back. "You okay?"

He can see behind his creased brow. "Yeah, I guess," he responds and rubs the back of his neck. "I guess I slept weird."

Demetrius shakes his head and leans forward. "You always sleep weird. Try waking up before noon for once, yeah?" He wipes wood shavings off the table. "Go take a walk and clear your head."

"Yeah, okay...."

Sebastian slips on his shoes and heads outside. The bright sun reflects off the snow and nearly blinds him, though he continues on with his hands shoved in his pockets. He naturally wanders towards the lake behind his house, not surprised to see Sam and Abigail already waiting for him.

"You owe me five bucks!" Sam suddenly calls after seeing Sebastian walk up, to which Abigail scoffs and lightly punches Sam in the shoulder.

"What's this about?" Sebastian scratches his head, and is hyper aware of Sam linking their fingers together as if it were second nature.

"I bet Abigail you'd be up and out before two."

Abigail pouts, confirming this.

"Ah."

Suddenly Sam and Abigail look at Sebastian with a peculiar look. It makes him sweat a bit, feeling out of place. Criticised. Like he woke up feeling... different.

"You good?" Sam asks, reaching up to brush some hair out of Sebastian's face. He can't help but flush slightly at the touch, glancing at Abigail to gauge her reaction. She's not concerned whatsoever with Sam's displays of affection.

"Yeah, i just..." Sebastian pauses. What could it be that makes him feel so different? "I think I had a weird dream, but I don't remember. I kinda feel weird."

Sam and Abigail slowly nod, though their worried looks just turn troubled. Abigail sighs.

"We were just talking about that," she says, resting a palm on her cheek. "Everything feels so different. Sam feels it too, so something must be up especially now that you've brought it up."

Sam shrugs, slightly breaking the atmosphere. "I guess these things happen. Sometimes the universe gets confused, just like us. It'll sort itself out."

That seems to ease the mood. Abigail and Sebastian nod in agreement despite things still not settling right with them, and they all fall into a rhythm of laughter and booger jokes. 

For some reason, Sebastian feels like there's something missing. Something important. He feels like the lumber in front of the house is fake and he can't stop glancing at it to make sure it's real. Tries to remember when Demetrius upgraded the garage for Maru's motorcycle. The memory is there but it doesn't feel real. Fabricated. Like a piece of a puzzle is missing and someone stuffed something else in its spot. But he can't figure it out. He tries to let it go and pay attention to Abigail's story, but he can't help and wonder why he feels like she should have purple hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so so so much for reading. whether you were there from the beginning, hopped in in the middle, or come across this after its final update, thank you thank you. i have a nasty habit of never finishing multi chapter plot fics but i managed to pull through because of your support.  
> i'm sorry that this kind of became a mess. i hope the ending didn't upset you too much. cause honestly? i couldn't answer any questions you have.  
> i could probably write an epilogue going more in depth with this but honestly it doesn't make any sense and it's going to take a miracle to link things together.  
> anyway. i mentioned i might rewrite this but tbh i'm not even sure. i might just forget about the rewrite and wait a year to update that haha  
> anyway! thanks again so much for reading and leaving comments!! i'll be writing more fics in the future and hopefully stardew valley will have a part in it. see y'all around <3


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